


Baby You're A Haunted House

by PennywiseTheDancingClownOfDerry2001



Series: Baby You're A Haunted House [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: A whole lotta height jokes, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Animal Attack, Because I'm the author and what I say goes, Blood and Gore, Broken Bones, But it's not a major ship fic, Explicit Language, Fluff, Ghosts, Happy Halloween, Haunted Houses, Horror, Humour, I'll add more tags later, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jay and Cole are Really Gay, Jay is trans, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Character Death, Slight sexual reference, Stephen King references because I'm a nerd, Taxidermy, They're all little shits tbh, They're all really nerdy horror fans, stupid banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-01-13 01:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21236207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennywiseTheDancingClownOfDerry2001/pseuds/PennywiseTheDancingClownOfDerry2001
Summary: It's Halloween and the gang decide to explore a local haunted house, only to bite off more than they can chew.





	1. Lloyd

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic I've posted to AO3 and I think it's the first ninjago fic I've ever posted. I'm not sure how often I'll update, though I can tell you that the second chapter is nearly done. Anyway, I hope you enjoy xx  
Also: Title is from the Gerard Way song of the same name.
> 
> The Playlist I've been listening to while writing: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52ZSwJQvX1qMtGxoRlNlzQ?si=WxJhOsw0T1uzjuA4dFC4SQ  
Warning: some of the songs are explicit and describe gore and the like

“I’m just saying-” Lloyd struggled to be heard over the heavy bass. He sighed, reaching into the front of the car to turn the volume down.

Kai gaped at him, from the other side of the car. The playlist had been a collaboration between he and Jay, an unholy coalition that had resulted in a positively chimeric Halloween mix. Paired with Cole’s unhealthy tendency to turn the music up as loud as possible when driving, meant that along with his growing fear of going deaf, Lloyd had to practically shout for anyone to hear him.

“Hey!” Kai protested, only for Nya to slap a hand over his face.

“What was that, Lloyd?” She asked, palm still covering her brother’s mouth and her lips twitching upward in the beginnings of a smirk.

“I’m just saying, there are perfectly good ‘haunted houses’ in town. Why on Earth are we driving all the way out here to break into some old shack?”

“Because Lloyd,” Jay’s voice sounded close to his ear, high and dramatic, “We’re getting the real Halloween experience! None of that manufactured stuff, it’s all about veracity out here!”

“Do you even know what veracity means?” Cole grinned, peering into the rear-view mirror to make eye contact with the red head.

Jay sputtered, mouth opening and closing as he searched for a defense against this attack on his mastery of the English language.

“What if we get arrested? I can’t have a criminal record! My uncle would kill me! Zane!” Lloyd looked to what he hoped would be the only voice of reason in this car.

Zane’s eyes rose from his book, a battered copy of Dracula that he had picked up after Jay had insisted that he read it. (“It’s in the spirit of the holiday, Zane!”) The blonde turned around and smiled gently.

“Don’t worry, Lloyd, I’m sure your uncle won’t murder you. It is a felony.”

Lloyd sighed, sinking back down in the seat, only for a thin, pointy finger to jab him in the back of the neck. “See?” Jay giggled, “Nothing to worry about.”

Lloyd swivelled, Cole’s car was a seven-seater, which was good in that they could all fit and that they could exile certain members of the group into the back row. The downside to this, of course, was that the exiled party (usually Jay) was in perfect position to tickle those in the pack, an opportunity that Jay did not often allow to go to waste.

Lloyd’s eyes narrowed to green slivers, “Fine. But if we get arrested, I’m telling the police this was your idea.” 

Lloyd turned to face the front once more, ignoring the cheery cackle from behind him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the car, Nya retracted her hand with a muttering of disgust. Staring between the two siblings, as Nya set about rubbing her hand on her jeans and Kai’s face broke open into a smug grin, it didn’t take much to infer as to what had just happened.

“You are so gross!” Nya glared and Kai’s smirk, if possible, grew wider.

“I know you are but what am I?” He sang.

Nya opened her mouth to retort but was cut off as Cole pulled the car to an abrupt stop, causing Zane to reach up and hold the interior grab-handle as the rest of the group jolted forward in their seats.

“Jesus Christ,” Jay choked, rubbing at where the seatbelt had cut into his throat. “Could you have possibly done that a little softer?”

“Sorry baby,” Cole’s voice was not at all repentant, “I thought you liked it hard?”

“That’s enough of that!” Zane said, stowing his novel away and swinging his long legs out of the car. Though his voice was stern, a small smile had made its home on his face.  
Exiting the car, the three from the back seat stared up at the dilapidated wooden cottage.

“That’s not at all ominous-looking.” Nya appraised the building, casting a critical eye over the house’s crumbling foundations and the yellow grass scattered over what would otherwise have been a dust-bowl of a yard.

Kai moved to stand beside her, the setting sun casting an orange glow over his tan features. “Better be careful, the ghosties come out at night!” He reached out, presumably to jab his sister in the ribs when a loud thump sounded from behind him.

Kai jolted around with a small shriek. 

Turning too, Nya giggled when she discovered the source of her brother’s fright. Jay slapped his palm against the car boot again, though whatever he was saying was lost behind the sheet of glass.

Nya obligingly open the door and Jay slid out of the car, all the while ranting about how he was always the one to be locked in and how they never remembered to let him out.  
“You’re sitting in the boot on the way back.” He finished, jabbing at Kai’s chest.

Kai snorted, leaning his elbow on the ginger’s head. “Sure thing, Garden Gnome.”

Jay hissed and struggled to dislodge the brunette’s grip. The two then devolved into a messy scuffle of limbs. Lloyd stepped back to lean against the car, where Nya was watching the mild brawl.

Cole sighed, before stepping in between the two, separating the pair with very little effort.

“You really shouldn’t be calling anyone a gnome, Kai. You’re not exactly the BFG, pal.”

Kai was still smirking, “Yeah, but there’s still a massive difference between five foot one and five foot seven. We can’t all be as tall as you and Jack Skellington over there.” He jerked his thumb over at where Zane had pulled out his phone and was scrolling steadily.

Cole rolled his eyes, before clapping his hands together, jolting the rest of the teenagers to attention. “Alright then! Let’s get moving, shall we?”

“Hang on.” Nya interjected, “How are we doing this?”

Cole frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we all wanted to watch the ‘It’ marathon tonight, right?” Nya questioned them.

“Which version?” Lloyd asked what he thought to be an entirely valid question.

Kai rolled his eyes. “It’s obviously the mini-series isn’t it? If they’re doing a marathon? The new one isn’t even on DVD yet.”

“Oh. Well, if it’s the mini-series then definitely.” Lloyd decided.

“What? What’ve you got against the new ones? They were waaaaaay more loyal than the book was.” Jay blinked at him.

Lloyd opened his mouth to defend his decision when Cole cut him off.

“We can debate the merits of different Stephen King adaptations later. What were you getting at, Nya?”

“Well, the marathon’s on TV at nine ‘o’ clock, and we’ll want to leave here at about half past eight to get snacks and get settled in, if we’re doing this at Cole’s house like we usually do,” she waited for the rest of the group to agree, before continuing after the other five gave the affirmative. “It’s about twenty past seven now, we won’t be able to make it through the whole house quickly enough. I’m just wondering, should we split up?”

“Are you crazy?” Jay interjected, his previous excitement forgotten. “Do you literally want this to turn into an actual horror movie?”

Lloyd was feeling inclined to agree, though he would prefer to have the experience over and done with.

“She’s got a point Jay,” Cole rested his hand on Jay’s arm, warm brown fingers curling around the redhead’s wrist. “We do want to look around the whole house. Does three groups of two work?”

“I’m happy to split up.” All heads turned to Kai, who was already wrapping his arm around his sister. “The Smith Siblings ain’t afraid of no ghosts!”

“I don’t see anything wrong with that plan, it is vastly more practical than staying in one group.” Zane stated.

Jay sighed. “Fine. Fine. I’m sticking with Cole though.”

Cole grinned, tucking his boyfriend close. “You know I’ll protect you baby.” 

Jay giggled as the taller boy leaned down to peck kisses at his forehead.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. “PDA’s gross, guys.”

Jay gave him the middle finger before rising on his tip-toes to kiss Cole back.

“Okay. Zane, I guess it’s you and me then.” Lloyd turned to the other blonde, who nodded in return.

“So, Zane and Lloyd can take the second floor. Jay and I can take the first. Kai and Nya, do you want to take the basement?” Cole looked at them expectantly.

Kai paled. “There’s a fucking basement?”


	2. Nya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Smith Siblings take a look about the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Updating twice in 24 hours? It's more likely than you'd think.

Nya didn’t consider herself a particularly superstitious person, she had never believed in ghosts and demons and the like. 

But even she could admit that the house was creepy. She had taken upon herself to research the house and its history when the group had decided on their Halloween plans over a week ago. The house had apparently been built in the 1930’s and was home to the Robinson family until they had all been killed in a car accident, save for the family patriarch. Reportedly, after the accident, Thomas Robinson went mad and refused to have his wife or children buried in a graveyard, instead the man buried them somewhere on the property.

However, even if Nya didn’t know the house’s history, she still would have felt the same deep unease as she descended into the gloom of the basement. Despite the frequent ghost tours held in the building (they had all been surprised to learn that the company had decided against running any on Halloween), the steps were dirty, and the beam of Nya’s flashlight settled on many a dead insect before she reached the bottom. Perhaps, she thought, as she watched Kai follow her down, it was all left there for dramatic effect.

The flashlights were cheap, plasticky things and they barely illuminated anything. Jay and Lloyd had picked them up in a convenient pack of six from one of the dollar shops on the main street when they were looking for ‘provisions’. At the time they had laughed because of the silly lady bug designs on the barrel, but now in the cool basement Nya gripped it tight.

“Jeez,” Kai said, shivering dramatically in the torchlight. “This is a bit depressing.”

Depressing, Nya had decided, didn’t even cover the half of it. While it had been easy outside to laugh and joke, inside things were different. Inside, it was all too easy to remember that this was the place where a man had mourned his family, where a man had secluded himself with only the family dog for company, where a man had eventually succumbed to grief.

Still, she had kept all this to herself after reading, figuring only Zane would have bothered to look into the house’s history and he would have reached the same “ignorance is bliss” conclusion she had.

“So . . . what do you think we should do?” Kai asked, blinking up at the cobwebs that adorned the wooden slats of the roof.

Nya chewed at the inside of her mouth, the room was filled with furniture, wooden antiques ornamented with cracked glass and discoloured varnish. “Do you want to just look at the furniture, see if there’s anything spooky on it?”

“Spooky? What, do you want to check if someone’s written ‘Boo’ on the side of it?” Kai laughed and Nya did the same.

“Among other things. Come on!”

The two perused the assortment of dressing tables and closets, their only discovery being a collection of lint Kai had pulled out of one set of drawers.

Overhead, a mote of dust spiralled through the light of their torches and settled into the mounds heaped on the floor.

Nya sighed, leaning against the staircase. “That’s that then.”

Kai sat down on the steps next to her. “What, did you want a ghost to jump out at us?” 

Nya tilted her head back and stared at the roof. There was a spiderweb and in the corner a large glossy spider waited in the corner, before her eyes two fly buzzed into the web and were stuck fast. The spider stepped forwards, encroaching on the struggling pair.

Nya shut her eyes before turning back to her brother. “What time is it?”

Kai tilted his wrist and Nya shone the flashlight onto the watch's face.

“It’s . . .” he squinted, “Ten to eight.”

“Well, do you want to go and find the others? Or do you want to wait outside for them to finish?”

Kai looked at her, “I guess we . . . go find the others? I don’t know?”

Nya pushed up off the stairs. She wasn’t sure why she was so upset that they hadn’t been accosted by a ghost but traipsing up past where her brother was still seated felt almost like she was giving up. Surrendering. 

She tucked the flashback into the back pocket of her jeans.

The steps creaked just as much going up as they had going down, though this time every solitary squeak seemed to cry out in mocking laughter. Every squeal just as mundane as the last.

When finally, Nya’s hand closed around the door handle she was angry enough that she gave it a vicious twist and yanked to open it. The door handle didn’t budge.  
Her mouth fell open in shock and she jostled the handle harder. Nothing. 

Kai stood up. “What’s wrong?”

Nya wrenched at the door once more, throwing her entire body weight backwards. For a second, she thought it would come loose and she would be sent tumbling back down the stairs. Still, it didn’t move.

“The door-” Nya grunted in effort. “Won’t- Fucking- Open.”

She banged against the decrepit wood. “Is this a prank? Guys, this isn’t funny!”

Kai crept up the stairs and joined her. “Jay and Cole were on the first floor, right?” 

She nodded in response.

“Jay! Cole! Let us out guys!”

“They can’t hear you.” 

The voice was high and as thin as the spiderwebs that had made their home in Kai’s hair. Absently, Nya thought it served him right for wearing such a stupid hairstyle.

They turned in unison, two pairs of deep grown eyes widening in fear.

The girl stood at the base of the stairs. Her white face was smudged and blurry, like a drawing that the artist had accidentally rubbed their elbow over.

Blood dripped from her face, gory and cartoonish before falling to the floor in stark definition.

The scent of copper flooded her throat and Nya fought back the urge to vomit.

Kai’s hand shook, the grinning frog bounced on the barrel of the flashlight. The light flickered on and off.

When Nya was younger, she had owned a pair of viewfinder binoculars. One of those little projector toys where you inserted a reel to view. You’d then press your way through each slide by pressing a button on the side. Nya’s favourite reel had been a discovery channel dinosaur wheel. However Nya’s pair had been second hand and it had taken two clicks to get to the next slide. T.rex. Black. Stegosaurus. Black. Triceratops. Black.

This is what the siblings saw in that dusty basement in a haunted house a quarter of an hour away from any prospective aid. Girl. Black. Blood. Black. White bone. Black.

Then the girl was gone.

The siblings blinked, heads swiveling like a pair of confused owls.

“Did you-” Nya’s tongue felt like rubber, she swallowed. “Did you see that?”

Beside her, Kai nodded, staring blankly at the bare floorboards.

Then a cold breath traced her neck and gooseflesh ran down her arms.

“Time to play.”

And in that final, flickering instant, the flashlight died.


	3. Jay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two guys chilling in a haunted house. Holding hands cause they are gay.  
New warnings for this chapter: Animal attacks, panic attacks and major character injury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay wow I am on a roll.  
Okay so, this is my first attempt at writing a trans character and while I don't go into major detail, please let me know if there's anything I got wrong or that you think I should change then please let me know. The same goes for the panic attack, even though I have written it before.
> 
> Okay so: New warnings for this chapter: Animal attacks, panic attacks and major character injury.

Jay was, surprisingly enough, having a fairly good time. While a haunted house wasn’t the most conventional place for a date, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t enjoy themselves.

Also, the lengthening shadows and dusty floors made for the perfect excuse to hold hands with his boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

Three months in and that word still made him smile. Admittedly, it had probably seemed an inevitability to everyone else in the group, he had heard from reliable authority (Nya) that he’d never been subtle about his little ‘crush’, apparently Cole hadn’t been much better.

Still, it was kinda sad that it had taken him two years to kiss the guy. Sometimes he wondered what would have happened had he actually plucked up the courage earlier. Maybe if he hadn’t been such a-

As if he could read his thoughts, Cole’s hand tightened, and the taller boy shot him a warm grin.

“Are you alright.” His tone was soft, sweet though the twitching edges of his grin betrayed his amusement.

Jay smiled back, grateful for the comfort, and squeezed his hand back.

They walked hand in hand, two pairs of footprints tracking through the aging halls.

There weren’t any bedrooms on the first floor, instead they wandered through living rooms and libraries, perusing the relics of someone else’s life. When finally, they had finished exploring the kitchen, it was around quarter to eight.

Jay glared at the numbers on the screen until the numbers blurred into unrecognisable shapes.  
Cole glanced at him, concerned.

“You alright?”

Jay nodded and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. “Y-yeah. It’s just-”

He broke off with a sigh.

Cole nudged him. “Just what?”

“I could have sworn we’d been here longer.” 

“Well, it’s not like this place is especially interesting. It’s like maths, you think the lessons nearly done, but you’ve only been there ten minutes, you know?”

Jay nodded and Cole continued. “Besides, we’re probably only bored because we haven’t been attacked by a ghost yet!”

Jay stretched up on his tip toes to slap a hand over his boyfriend’s mouth. “Shhhhhhhhhhh!” He hissed, blue eyes wide and lips twitching. “You’ll jinx us!” 

He giggled.

Cole carefully extricated the hand over his mouth. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

He leant down and they met halfway, lips mashing together, messy and warm.

BANG!

They broke apart, staring out into the hallway.

“Sounds like- that came from outside, right?” Jay panted.

“Yeah it did. Come on.” Cole strode toward the back door. “Let’s go check it out.”

Jay followed, close at his heels. 

It was cool outside, Jay soon realised as Cole swung the rusted screen door. Clasping his palms over his elbows, he shivered. It shouldn’t have been this cold. It had certainly been far warmer before they came in.

Cole crossed the bare dirt, closing in on the long grass that lined the edges of the yard.

Jay stepped after him, sneakers sinking into the slurry of a lawn. “Do you see anything?”

Cole frowned, eyes narrowed. “I thought I saw movement but-” he squinted staring into the rows of grass. “I don’t-”

A loud growling emanated from behind them.

They turned.

The dog stood in the grass line, its eyes shone balefully out at them.

“Um. Do you see that?”

Cole nodded.

The dog stepped outward. It was huge, ridiculously so. It’s shaggy grey snout scratched and gore-spotted.

Cole’s fingers tangled about his wrist. “Jay. Run!”

In unison, they fled. As fast as they could, back to the door.

Cole yanked the door open, pulling Jay in behind him.

Just as he crossed into the house, Jay felt the dogs jaws close about his right calf.

Pain raced through his leg like lightning and his mouth fell open in a scream.

Cole pulled harder, tugging the redhead out of the beasts grasp and into the house. The hound’s teeth sliced into his leg muscle as he tumbled inward. He went limp, collapsing into his boyfriend’s side as Cole dragged them both into the kitchen.

Jay felt himself being deposited on the floor as Cole rushed to slam the heavy door shut behind them.

Someone, it seems, had rather amazing forethought. Or just believed that the kitchen door required the thick metal bolts, nearly as wide as Jay’s wrist. Either way, both boys were immensely grateful as Cole slid the bolts home to secure the thick wooden door.

Jay’s breath rushed in and out of his lungs in a rapid torrent, his traitorous body barely absorbing any oxygen before it was shoved back out into the stale kitchen air. Pain lanced up his leg, alternating spasms of coldhotcoldhotcold.

Cole collapsed to his knees beside him, trembling hands rubbing at the smaller boy’s shoulder.

“Jay? Baby? Are you al- Ohmygod, Ohmygod, your leg! Fuck oh my God!”

Jay wheezed, trying to communicate that his leg was not currently the most pressing threat to his health. Cole looked him in the eye, two frantic gazes clashing in a storm of panic.

“Oh shit, you’re having a panic attack, okay um- we should take off your binder, you’ll breathe better without it!”

Jay stared, blue eyes boring into his partner’s face. Cole stared back.

“Trust me, I’ll lend you my jacket.”

Jay nodded and Cole pulled the loose t-shirt over his boyfriend’s head before wrestling the binder off too.

Tucking the binder under his arm, Cole set about redressing the redhead, and then tugged his hoodie off and deposited that on Jay as well.

“Okay, okay. Now breathe with me, okay?”

Jay felt Cole’s warm hand around his as his palm was pressed to the taller boy’s chest.

“Now, in and then out. In and then out.” Cole’s chest expanded on every cue and Jay slowed to try and match his rhythm.

Soon, his breathing slowed, and he slumped back against the grungy kitchen cabinets.

Cole’s breath hissed out in a sound of relief. “Okay, now onto your leg.”

Cole looked down at the injury and Jay winced when his gaze followed.

The wound was starting to clot, though there was still a thick stream of blood leaking forth and staining the old wooden floor. It also hurt like a bitch.

Cole swallowed. “I think I’m going to need to like, cover that or something.”

Jay looked around. “I don’t think they have a first aid kit in here, babe.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound as thin out loud as it did to him.

Cole chuckled. “No, I don’t think they do either.” With that he pulled his own shirt off.

Jay blinked. “Are you just taking this as an excuse to get shirtless?” He giggled breathily.

Cole flushed. “No. I’m being practical, unless you want me to use your binder?” He gestured toward the scrap of fabric still tucked into his armpit.

Jay scrutinised it. He wasn’t sure how that could be tied into a bandage. He shook his head.

Cole nodded and began wrapping the t-shirt around the other boy’s leg, tightly but not too tight.

“Better?”

Jay nodded. Slumped on the kitchen floor and still in copious amounts of pain he felt the adrenaline leave his body. He was hyperaware of the trails of slick sweat gathering in his hair.

BANG!

Both boys startled as the door bounced on its hinges.

BANG!

The hinges and bolt were the only thing holding the door in place as the wood warped and fractured.

BANG!

Then the door burst inward in a storm of splinters.


	4. Zane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now to check in with the blonde patrol.  
All relevant warnings are in the tags.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All relevant warnings are in the tags.  
Sorry I didn't update this yesterday, I had to work an eight hour shift and didn't get the chance to finish. I'm hoping to have this finished by Tuesday (Australian Time), so I may update again today. May not. I'll see what happens.

“And now, what will we find in this room here, Zane?” Lloyd’s growing boredom was evident in his tone, drier than a desert.

“Dust.” Zane smiled, happy to play along with the other blonde’s theatrics.

“You said ‘dust’, survey says,” Lloyd pushes the door open and the hinges shriek in protest. “Dust is our top answer!”

Zane peered around the door frame, nose crinkling. He felt the tickle beginning in the back of his throat and swallowed it down. Lloyd wasn’t so lucky and let loose an explosive sneeze.

“Ah-choo!”

The sudden noise shook the still air of the room and Zane watched in disgusted fascination as a stream of mucus arced inwards.

“That had some distance to it.” Zane remarked as the snot sank into the faded sheets.

In a case of ‘too little, too late’, Lloyd covered his mouth and nose, looking embarrassed. “Oh my god.”

Shaking his head, Zane entered the room, eyes dancing over the ancient dressers and the spotted mirrors. Pulling out the drawers, he frowned at their lack of contents.

Zane had, in fact, researched the house before coming here. It didn’t seem logical that all of the bedrooms were devoid of personal belongings. It was not long after the accident that Thomas Robinson had passed as well and given the nature of his grief it was highly unlikely that he’d been the one to clear out the house. But then who had?

While it was possible, if not probable that the tour company that ran ghost tours through the house had been the ones to do so, something still seemed off.  
Lloyd moved back to the doorway. “There’s nothing for us here.”

Zane nodded, turning to follow. Then, out of the corner of his eye, movement. Zane peered about the room. In the corner was a freestanding mirror and Zane’s shoulder softened, breath hissing out of his mouth.

Then he stopped.

There was someone behind him. Their form was faded and patchy, their eyes glowed yet were as dark as a raven's feather in the dim light of the setting sun entering through the window.

Zane whipped around. There was no one there. He shook his head, hair falling out of its usual neat formation. He would have maybe expected paranoia from the others, but he didn’t think the house would get to him too.

Outside, in the hall, Lloyd’s voice raised into a shriek.

Zane raced out the door, breaking into a sprint. At the age of sixteen, Lloyd was the youngest of their group, two years younger than the rest of the boys and a year younger than Nya. It was therefore true that everyone in the group felt, to some degree, very protective of the boy. Yes, they did like to tease him and dick around, but they were also more than willing to fight anyone who caused the boy harm.

When Zane reached him, Lloyd was bent over, wheezing heavily. Zane clutched him, trying to locate the injury that had caused this response. 

Lloyd panted. “I’m sorry, it’s jus- just . . .” He broke off into another fit and Zane realised that he wasn’t crying- he was laughing.

Lloyd pointed at the mantle, “It startled me, I thought it was- was . . .” He giggled.

Zane looked in the direction of the other blonde’s finger and shook his head when he noticed what had caused the upset.

A taxidermized owl stood there, its wings spread wide in a static parody of flight and it’s dark, soulless eyes stared at nothing.

Zane clapped a hand over Lloyd’s shoulder as his laughter wound down, leaning against the taller boy’s side.

“Are you finished yet?” He asked, smiling patiently.

Lloyd looked up at him, eyes sparkling with mirth. “Yeah, yeah just-” He then broke off into a new peal of chuckles.

Eventually, he did calm down and the two crept onwards. 

Zane was looking under the bed in the master bedroom when it happened, he was utilising the children’s torches Jay and Lloyd had decided necessary. His was the one featuring the cartoon yellow bumblebee, it’s face stretched into an entomologically improbable grin. Zane, on the other hand, had determined that a salt shaker would be a far more practical purchase, though the others had claimed that salt only worked on demons and deigned not to bring one of their own.

A hand ghosted over his spine and Zane stiffened.

“Lloyd, was that you?”

Lloyd peered up from where he was investigating the bare, dilapidated closet.

“Was what me?” 

Zane’s blood ran cold, there was no way Lloyd could have moved over to his side of the room and back in that time.

Lloyd’s brow creased as Zane didn’t respond. “Zane, buddy. Are you o-”

Zane stood abruptly, staring about the room. Unease prickled his spine and gooseflesh rose on his neck. Something was watching them. He was sure.

Lloyd rose to his feet too, battered green sneakers bright against the threadbare carpet.

“We should leave. Now.”

Zane’s long legs carried him to the doorway with ease, Lloyd followed close, taking faster steps to keep up.

CRACK!

Two necks snapped around to see the mirror had fragmented. A long scar gouged down the middle, splitting twin expressions of horror and bemusement into four. Zane blinked and his mouth dropped open in horror as the shadowed figure materialised behind them. They spun in unison and the phantom’s inky face dripped open in a blinding white grin.  
“Hello boys,” its head tilted further and further until as the two watched its neck bend like rubber and its face settle nearly upside down to stare at them. “I’m so happy you’re here, I’ve been so lonely here.”

His arms stretched out ahead of him, duel highways dark as tar and with no end in sight. Looping forward they wrapped and folded themselves around the two boys as if they were devoid of bones.

Zane struggled, thrashing violently like a fish on a line, twisting and spinning in the hopes of reaching freedom. Beside him, Lloyd did the same, toes barely brushing the pallid carpets and kicking the plentiful mounds of mouse shit as the two were raised toward the mould spotted roof.

The spectre giggled, dark eyes seeming more at home on some horrific creature of the deep than a humanoid. “Why do you struggle? Don’t you want to be my friends?”

Lloyd stared at the creature, the whites of his eyes expanding in the dingy rooms. “No, the fuck we don’t!” he shrieked.

The figure turned to him, shadowy brows furrowed. “And why is that, child?”

Lloyd writhed, spine undulating as he struggled. “Because- because- you- oh my god-” His voice trailed off into uncontrollable screaming.

The monster leaned forward, leering at the boy, clearly enraptured in his fear.

While the creature was preoccupied with Lloyd, Zane reached for the salt, pulling it from the pocket of his jacket. Quickly uncapping the shaker and dropping it to be forgotten on the floor, his fingers trembled as he dug his short fingernails into the seal. In five seconds, that felt closer to five hours Zane had the top open just barely.

Luckily, the spectre was completely oblivious to its other captives’ movements as it continued to watch Lloyd scream.

Zane’s heart rose into his throat and he raised his eyes to heaven, the prayers of an atheist who had just been introduced to the less than secular side of existence. With a breath from his nose and a plea on his tongue, Zane tipped the salt on the creature’s strange telescopic limb.

The effect was instantaneous.

The creature let out a shriek so loud and unearthly that, as they were dropped back to the floor, both boys slapped their hands over their ears.

Zane was the first to recover and as he leapt for the door, he wrapped his fingers around Lloyd’s upper arm and pulled him through the doorway.

Two pairs of feet beat through the dilapidated hallway. From behind they could still hear the creature screeching, from above they could hear wing beats and hissing. A pair of razor-sharp claws narrowly missed Zane’s head as they ducked into the stairwell and ran down the stairs.

As they reached the first floor, they turned into the first hallway they could find.

At the end of the hall, wood splinters lay haloed about a battered doorframe.

From within came sounds of growling and screaming.


	5. Kai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Checking back in with the Smith siblings, things aren't going too well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait between updates, I meant to have this done days ago but shit happens sometimes and I haven't had it in me to write. I'm aiming to have the last chapter done in the next week as it will likely be longer than the others and I am going to be busy over the next couple of days so I'm not sure when I'll have time to write.  
Okay, so chapter warnings are the same as the tags, and I'm going to add broken bones as well.  
Also, just as a disclaimer, I'm not a medical professional and I am in no way trained in first aid other than in PDHPE classes at school so please take all of the medical aid provided in the fic as fiction and it is not to be followed in the event of an emergency. Not that I think anyone would though, this is just an added warning.
> 
> Okay, please enjoy and I'll try to finish the fic in this next week.

It was cold in the inky blackness of the basement. Kai was aware, distantly, that he was shaking. He was also aware of Nya’s violent trembling next to him. Reaching into the darkness, he grappled at where he remembered her elbow as being and relaxed minutely as he grasped sharp bone.

Warm fingers curled over his and the two siblings clung to each other in the darkness.

“Did- did you see that?” Nya’s voice came from somewhere near his ear and he felt the puff of her breath over his cheek.

Kai swallowed and nodded jerkily, only to remember that she couldn’t see him.

“Yeah,” he swallowed, the spit in his throat felt uncomfortably viscous and his tongue thick in his mouth. “Yeah, I saw it.”

Nya hummed. “What do you think it is- was?”

“I don’t know.”

Stale air tickled his nose and the rush of breath that filled his lungs tasted of earth and decay.

The flashlight, like all good comic book characters, then decided to return from the dead with perfect dramatic timing.

Just inches from his face a curdling yellow grin widened.

“I’m so happy to have you.” The girl giggled and her sunken brown eyes glowed with fiendish light.

Nya’s fist jerked forward in a punch that flew straight through their aggressor’s flickering form. The girl cackled and faded into vapours, a shimmering ephemera spiralling in the jerky flashlight beam.

For a single moment Nya was suspended there, toes balanced on the edge of the step, her equilibrium thrown out past it. Kai acted without a thought, a lifetime of protecting his sister lending the instincts required in in a time where it seemed all that was rational was lost.

Reaching out, he attempted to steady her, only to realise that she had leaned too far forward for him to pull her back, given how close to the edge he was himself. Kai tucked his sister close, pulling her to his chest and turning to absorb the fall himself. 

Together they tumbled to the bottom, stirring up clouds of dust bunnies and long deceased insects. In the sheer terror and shock of the moment, Kai’s sweaty fingers let go of the flashlight and it raced them down, landing on the floor and rolling in a wide arc, the yellowed beam illuminating the rotting boards and lighting them up like a target; “When falling down the stairs due to ghost induced fright, please take care to aim right the fuck here.”

SMACK!

Kai landed on his leg, which crumpled until he was laid on his back on the floor. At that moment the combination of pain and the vertigo lead him to retch from his position on the floor, bitter bile filling his throat before he reflexively swallowed it back down.

Nya rolled to the cold floor beside him, before jerking upright.

“Kai!” She tapped at the side of his head, jabbing him to some semblance of alertness. 

“Hmmmmmm.” He mumbled intelligently.

“You’re hurt! Oh shit!” She reached across the floor to retrieve the flashlight and shone it over her brother’s prone form, when she reached his leg she gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. “I think, oh god, I think your leg’s broken, Kai!” She shook him again, trying to convey the severity of their situation to a boy who was far too concerned with the black spots tangoing across his vision.

Kai groaned, eyes flitting across the dimly lit ceiling and tracking the passage of a small black spider darting over the rotting beams. Gathering his strength, he lurched upright. For a second, he sat, staring dead forward before he screamed. Pain burnt through his leg and his vision shook.

He panted, breath rushing in and out of his raw throat. “Oooooooh shit.” He muttered, gripping his injured leg, breathing harder when that only exacerbated the issue.

Nya stared at his injured leg, then back to his face. “Okay, Kai? Can you hear me?”

Kai nodded, teeth worrying at his bottom lip as his eyebrows scrunched together in pain. “Yeah, it just- it hurts.” He trailed off, looking back down at his leg.

Nya pressed a hand to his warm forehead. “Okay, I don’t think you’re going into shock. You’re just in a lot of pain. It’s not like, badly out of place or anything. I’m going to try and splint your leg.”

Kai managed a weak smile, leaning back against his scraped palms. “I’ve literally never been so glad that you decided to go and get your first aid certificate.”

Nya grinned back, relief evident in her warm brown eyes. “It’s a useful skill to have.”

She stood abruptly, overturning one of the dressers and prying one of its legs off. She then pressed one end of the makeshift splint to his leg and used her jumper to secure it, particularly around the knee and ankle area.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut and winced as she worked, teeth clenched so hard that they were in danger of cracking.

“There.” She tied the last of the knots. “All better, ah well, kinda.”

Kai placed a trembling hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, sis, seriously.”

Nya nodded. “It’s not much, but it’ll do for now.”

Kai met her eyes. “No, seriously. You did good.”

Nya smiled, then glanced up at the door. “I’m gonna try and open it again.”

Kai glanced upward, neck straining. “That’s probably a good idea, yeah.”

As she marched up the stairs, Kai laid back against the dusty floor. Admittedly, he had thought it would be fun to explore a haunted house though he had no belief in the supernatural and had never expected anything to come of it. Now though, that he was trapped, immobile on the floor and with little else to do other than think, he felt the crisis coming on.

The sound of the doorknob being pulled on and faint cursing echoed down the stairs. If ghosts, or whatever the fuck that thing was, existed- then did that mean that there was an afterlife? Some kind of God? Were vampires and werewolves a thing too? What about- his spit caught in his throat and his thoughts came to a grinding halt as he caught sight of dark eyes watching him from the gloom.

An eerie, luminescent smile floated underneath them and the eyes widened. “Hello there, new friend!”

Kai’s face slackened. “Hey, Nya! Umm, help!”

From the corner of his eye he saw Nya turn and her face paled as she raced down the steps, ponytail swinging frantically.

She pulled him to his feet, or, foot. Kai hissed in pain, as she helped him hobble back toward the door. The girl stood stock still, grinning widely. However, despite her inactivity the shadows swirled and screamed encroaching on the pair.

While they were aware that the door was locked, there was no other option as Nya used one arm to support her brother and the other to reach for the door.

However, before she could grasp it, the door flew inwards with a crack!

A booted foot flew through the air behind it, narrowly missing the pair.

“Oh shit, sorry,” A pair of thick, muscled arms reached inwards and pulled them out into the blinding light. “So, what happened to you guys?” Cole’s voice, though seemingly convivial, was fraught with fear and concern.

The two stared between each other, frantic tongues struggling to convey their story.


	6. Cole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epic (not really) conclusion and the start of something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. I'm so sorry, I know I said that I'd have this done earlier but I had a lot of family engagements on and the like. I also graduated high school. Yay! So here it is, the conclusion. I kinda want to make it into a series but we'll see. Also, I'm like kinda sure this is the longest chapter yet so yay me!

Cole scrambled away from the whirlwind of wood and dust, as the hound burst through the door, jaws dripping with spittle and his boyfriend’s blood. Jay, tucked securely under the taller boy’s muscled arm, let loose a strangled scream comprising of equal parts fear and pain. 

Cole placed himself between the injured teen and the beast, shivering in the cool air as his chest heaved out a series of trembling gasps.

The dog’s eyes burned, a sanguine red that glowed like embers. The rancid stink of sulphur rolled off of its mangy coat and its long, jagged claws scratched on the aging kitchen tile.

A low rumble emanated from within its barrel of a chest and out of its gaping maw, adorned with yellowing teeth.

Snapping at the air before it, the brute strode toward them, watching its prospective prey.

Cole glared back as he tried to look menacing. "Back Cujo!"

Running footsteps echoed from the hall outside, and the beast’s head swung about to face the demolished door-frame.

Zane raced into the room, Lloyd hot on his heels as twin heads of blonde hair grew dark with sweat.

Zane’s pale grey eyes were wide as he stared it down.

Cole’s breath caught in his throat, certain that he was going to see his friend’s torn apart before him.

Then, slowly, deliberately, Zane’s long fingers reached into his pocket. From within, he retrieved a small, plastic object and Cole’s eyes narrowed to identify it in the failing light. 

The salt shaker!

Cole’s brows furrowed, perhaps if this had been an episode of Supernatural salt may have been able to ward it off, but this was real life. Then again, he and his boyfriend had just been attacked by a demon dog, maybe he shouldn’t be questioning what was realistic.

The longer, he stared at the shaker, the more apparent it was that it was only half full. So, Zane had used it, to some degree of success if his willingness to employ it once more was anything to go by. But on what, or who, had he used it? Why was this happening?

Zane uncapped the shaker and, eyes never leaving the dog’s own, behind him Lloyd watched on in expectance of what was to come.

The creature stared back, eyes ablaze with feral rage.

Pointing the shaker away from his body, Zane propelled the Himalayan rock salt through the stale air and about the kitchen.

The effect was instantaneous, the beast let loose a screech of fear and pain as its bloody eyes squeezed together, black discharge trickling from its sockets and darkening its scruffy ash streaked fur. 

The mutt’s monstrous gore-splattered form smoked and undulated on the kitchen floor.

Cole’s stomach turned as the stench of foetid burning flesh crept into his nose and curdled in his throat. He swallowed rapidly so as to avoid losing his lunch, a tactic which, thankfully, worked. By his side, Jay was not so lucky as he spat bile onto the already filthy floor.

When he was 9 years of age, the Wizard of Oz had played one Friday night and Cole, at his father’s insistence as he did not have to get up in the morning, had watched it. His father had spent the entire film praising the cinematography and claiming it as one of the greatest musical masterpieces of the 20th century. Cole on the other hand, having never watched it since, remembered only one grisly scene. The death of the witch.

At that age, nothing had scared him more than watching the film’s antagonist melt into the floor and her screams of pain and wrath had haunted his dreams for many months after.

While this dog was far from the green skinned fiend and certainly no Toto. Cole could not help but compare it to her as it sank and liquefied on the floor, leaving only a viscous black residue in its wake.

Cole collapsed back on the floor, eyes tracking over the dirtied ceiling, then there were hands pulling him back. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Zane’s voice was firm, yet still concerned as his eyes bore into Cole’s face.

Pulled unceremoniously back to reality, Cole shook his head, instead gesturing at where Jay was being asked similar questions by the younger blonde. “Jay- his leg- bite.”  
Zane nodded, moving over to examine the redhead.

Relieved of his patient, Lloyd came over to sit by Cole’s side, staring at him in confusion.

“Why are you shirtless?”

As the adrenaline left his body, Cole couldn’t help the cackling laugh that bubbled from his lips.

“Don’t- don’t worry, what happened to you guys?”

From where he was examining Jay’s makeshift bandage Zane began to speak. Pulling it tighter where spots of red bled through as he recounted the events that had transpired in the upstairs bedroom.

Cole blinked. “That’s fucked.”

Lloyd chuckled, “You’re telling me.”

“Yeah, well if weird shit’s been happening to all of us, I wonder how Kai and Nya are holding u- Kai and Nya!”

Cole jumped to his feet, as a harried pounding became audible in the outside hallway. The entrance to the basement was out there.

Slowly, the two blondes rose next to him as Cole started for the doorway. Guilt shadowed his features as he watched Zane struggled to pull Jay, who had seemingly fallen unconscious, eyes flickering behind close lids.

Cole moved back toward them. “Hang on, I’ll take-“

Zane shook his head. “You two get Kai and Nya, I’ll take Jay to the car.”

Cole blinked, before pulling forth the car keys and handing them to the taller boy. “Is he okay?”

“Just unconscious, go.”

Hauling the unresponsive redhead into his arms, Zane made for the door.

Cole and Lloyd followed quickly afterward, racing toward the basement door. Lloyd jiggled the handle.

“It’s locked.”

Cole spread his arm out, pushing blonde aside. “Stand back. I’ll just-”

Cole kicked the door open, thick walking boot driving through the aged wood, narrowly missing the shocked faces of the siblings within.

“Oh shit, sorry.” His eyes tracked over their dirty, frightened faces, widening when he noticed the state of Kai’s leg.

“So, what happened to you guys?”

A high-pitched giggled emanated from within the basement and the four twisted about in search of the source.

It went without saying that Cole had had enough supernatural bullshit for that day as he scooped up the injured male.

“Never mind, I’ve changed my mind. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Together, the three raced through the house, Kai bouncing on Cole’s shoulder as he struggled to contain his noises of pain. The door rattled where it swung open as the group sprinted for the car, swaying in the breeze behind them.

Inside, Zane started up the engine as the four piled into the back, putting the car in reverse and speeding back out the driveway before they had the chance to get situated.

“Lloyd, get in the boot.” Nya snapped as she struggled to find a way to seat her injured brother, eventually deciding to help him into one of the window seats, strapping him in as he struggled to contain his breathing.

Lloyd obeyed without complaint, sliding over the headrests and nearly kneeing Cole in the face as he made his way by.

From where he had been strapped in in the front, Jay’s voice was thin. “At least I’m not in the front this time.”

Cole laughed, breathless as he pulled the seatbelt across his body, before leaning forward to drop the binder into the redhead’s lap, crumpled as it was from the tight fist in which it had been gripped.

The tires squealed as the car bulleted out onto the empty highway, rolling backwards until Zane pulled the gearstick into drive.

From the house’s cracked windows, dozens of faded faces loomed outward. A dog patrolled the yard, saliva dripping from its translucent jaws.

Ghosts cannot be killed, you see? For that would be oxymoronic at best, paradoxical even. Nor can they be defeated, only impeded or restrained. For now, they will wait, trapped in the weatherboard tomb, awaiting their next group of visitors.

The teenagers may think they have won, but they have only traded one haunting for another. A haunting of minds, of juxtaposed scars upon otherwise smooth skin and brittle legs that never move quite right again and always hurt when its raining. As cliched as that may be. A haunting of dreams and nightmares.

Yet even then, that is not to say that there is not a positive outcome to this story. No. For is there a bond greater than that shared between those who have experienced hell together? Is there a better reason to hold someone tight than the knowledge that there will always be forces beyond our knowledge conspiring to tear them away?

And so, our heroes drive off into the sunset, closer than ever before and with greater knowledge than most others. Most would have left it at that and moved on in life. However, it was not long after this that Cole would come across rumours of another haunted house, not long after that he would convince his closest friends to come with as he ventured into another haunted house.

But this time, they would be prepared. This time they would be the hunters and not the hunted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, just as I'm finishing writing this, shuffle has pulled up Gerard Way's 'Baby You're a Haunted House'. What a coincidence!


End file.
